Shipping and dispensing package



Jan. 10, 1939.

c. P. WINTER Er AL 7 2,143,614

SHIPPING AND DISPENSING PACKAGE Filed July 19, 1938 "In m w "an" m "I,"

Patented Jam 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,143,614 SHIPPING AND DISPENSING PACKAGE Application July 19, 1938, Serial No. 220,074

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a package of interfolded paper towels or the like, and more particularly to a novel combination shipping case and dispenser for interfolded paper towels.

Heretofore it has been impractical to. pack more than a very small quantity of paper towels in a single shipping dispenser due to the weight resting on the edges of the bottom delivery opening. The friction caused by the withdrawal of a sheet increased with the quantity and weight of the towels until the resistance to the withdrawal of the sheet was greater than the strength of the towel which caused tearingof the latter.

We propose to reduce the friction present during withdrawal of sheets from the package and make it independent of the quantity of the towels in the package. This result is obtained by providing a box-like structure of fiberboard or the like in which one dimension, namely that between two opposed walls which contact the folded edge portions of the stack of towels, is made less than the corresponding dimension of the stack. In this way a pressure is applied to opposite sides of the package which causes the sheets or towels to sag downwardly in the middle. An additional reinforcement or friction means consisting of corrugated paper or the like, with the corrugations facing the stack, is applied to the inner surfaces of such walls, and the corrugations contact the folded edges of the towels in such a manner that such edges engage the longitudinal corrugations in parallel relation. It is obvious that should the sagging center of the packagenot be supported, the entire column of towels would descend to the bottom. Toovercome this, we provide supporting ridges or the like at the bottom of the box on either side of the delivery opening, and consequently the sag is restricted and the towels are held from descending as a mass by the relativelynarrow supporting edges of the ridges. As the towels are withdrawn, the support pressure is reduced, the sag is increased, and the entire column of towels descends until equilibrium is again established.

The details of the invention will now be explained in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of our improved package.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section view of a detail.

Referring to the drawing, i designates a combined shipping and dispensing case, and 5 a stack of towels arranged therein.

In accordance with the invention, the case may be made of any suitable relatively stiff or rigid material, but we prefer to make it from a fiberboard blank. Such blank is cut and folded so as to provide a top 6 having depending flaps I at the ends thereof (only one being shown in the drawing).

The front wall 8 and the rear wall 9 depend fromv the top and each of these walls is provided with flaps l0 which when brought together form the side walls of the case. The flaps ID are secured to the flaps 1 by any suitable means such as staples H, or to facilitate manufacture of the package, the flaps Ill forming each side wall, may be secured together by a strip l2 of adhesive paper or the like.

The lower end of each wall 8 and 9 is provided with a flap l2, which flaps in. turn extend toward one another to form the bottom of the box, and

are provided with upwardly extending end flaps l3 which are secured to the flaps H] by any suitable means, such as staples l4;

Each flap [2 is bent upwardly, as shown at l5, to form spaced short vertical walls defining a bottom delivery opening, and these walls are integral with downwardly diverging strips i6 which in turn, are integral with re-entrant flaps I! that are secured to the flaps l2 by any suitable means such as staples IS. The parts l5 and i6 form triangular ridges extending across the box at either side of the delivery opening and the peaks of the ridges are relatively narrow to support the central sagging portion of the towells in the stack.

As heretofore mentioned, the distance between the walls 8 and 9 is less than the width of the stack 5, and as this exerts pressure on the towels they are caused to sag downwardly at the center. Each of the walls 8 and 9 is provided at its inner surface with a reinforcement or friction means I9 preferably consisting of a sheet of corrugated fiberboard of about the same width as the wall to which it is secured, and as the corrugations of these sheets are horizontally arranged and engage the folded edge portions 2|] of the towels (Fig. 3), it will be obvious that these sheets act to support the stack and thereby take the weight of the stack off of the lowermost sheet. This coupled with the line support of the sagging center portions of the lowermost towels by the ridges l5, l6, facilitates the withdrawal of the towels without danger of tearing them.

As it is necessary in withdrawing a towel to bend it over the edges of the delivery opening, it is of primary importance that the top of the ridges adjacent the delivery opening be straight'and have no sag, as a sheet being withdrawn over a deflected or sagged lip of a delivery slot would construction acts to reinforce the ridges.

As the box is made to function as a delivery cabinet, tongues 2| may be punched in the rear wall to allow the box to be suspended on a wall 22 by means of nails 23 or the like.

Instead of using corrugated paper sheets l9, heavy creped paper may be used as frictional means.

The bottom or delivery opening of our improved box may be formed by simply bending the board tion which is illustrated and used to stiflen the delivery edges may be altered to form a funnel shaped opening.

While we have disclosed what we now consider to be a preferred embodiment of the invention in such manner that the same may be readily understood by those skilled in the art, we are aware that changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A package of paper towels or the like comprising a box of stiff material having a delivery opening at its bottom, a stack of superimposed interfolded paper towels arranged in the box, opposite side walls of the box being spaced apart a less distance than one dimension of the stack whereby the towels of the stack are caused to sag at the center, and straight ridges at the bottom of the box arranged at either side of the delivery opening and forming line contact supports for 2. A package of paper towels or the like comprising a box of stiff material having a dellvery a less distance than one dimension of the stack whereby the towels of the stack are caused to sag at the center, and straight ridges at the bottom of the box arranged at either side of the delivery opening and forming line contact supports for the sagging center portions of the lowermost towels of the stack, the inner surface of each of said walls of the box being provided with friction means engaging the folded edges of towels of the stack to retard descent of the towels.

3. A package of paper towels or the like comprising a box of stiff material having a delivery opening at its bottom, a stack of superimposed interfolded paper towels opposite side walls of the box being spaced apart a less distance than one dimension of the stack whereby the towels of the stackar-e caused to sag at the center, and straight ridges at the bottom of the box arranged at either side of the delivery opening and forming line contact supports for the sagging center portions of the lowermost towels of the stack, each of said side walls being provided at its inner surface with horizontally arranged corrugations forming ledges on which the folded edge portions of the towels of the stack rest.

4. A package of the character described comprising a receptacle having fixedly arranged relatively stiff parallel opposite side walls and a bottom delivery opening, a stack of interfolded paper towels arranged in the receptacle, friction means arranged on the inner surface of each of said walls and engaging opposite sides of the stack to retard the movement of the towels downwardly toward the delivery opening, and straight ridges projecting upwardly from the bottom of the receptacle at opposite sides of the delivery opening and forming line contact supports for the lowermost towels of the stack.

5. Ashipping and dispensing container for paper towels or the like provided with a bottom delivery opening, and inwardly and upwardly projecting lips bounding opposite sides of the delivery opening.

6. A non-refillable shipping and dispensing container formed of fibrous material, and comprising two opposed walls having roughened inner surfaces, two opposed walls having smooth surfaces, a bottom provided with a delivery slot, and upwardly extending lips arranged on the bottom at opposite sides of the slot and provided with means for increasing the rigidity thereof.

7. A package of the character described comprising a fiberboard container havng a delivery opening, and a stack of interfolded paper towels arranged in the container for delivery of the towels through said slot, two opposing walls of the container normally exerting sufficient frictional contact on the stack to cause a sag of the portion of the stack toward the delivery end between the folded edges of the towels, and inwardly extending lips provided at either side of the delivery slot and forming supports for the sagging portion of the stack.

8. A package of the character described comarranged in the box,

on said ridges.

COURTNEY P. WINTER. DUNBAR A. ROSENTHAL. 

